Author Archives: dsmith

Bearcat Caves Exploration

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We had heard about the Bearcat Caves located in the Monte Hills and we decided to try to find the caves then explore them.    We returned several times, each time exploring farther along the caves and fissures and trying new routes where there was safe access.   To get to the Bearcat Caves, we go to Monte Lake and at the north end of the lake, we take the Monte Hills FSR.     The area has been logged many times and there are lots of side roads.    We had coordinates for the caves area so we followed backroads that took us to the trailhead.    A geocache listing provided lots of useful information – Bearcat Caves. There are no … Continue reading →

North Batchelor Range Hike

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The north end of the Batchelor Range can be reached from the Deep Lake area by hiking the Grasslands Community Trail in the Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area, then going cross-country up the ridge from the north end.   From the trailhead for the Deep Lake Trail to the top of the ridge is a climb of about 581 m (1900 ft).   There are series of hilltops in the Batchelor Range, so we can go up and down several before looping back.    The loop route back for us was off-trail and steep.   The total distance was over 12 km. There is little shade on this route so it is a better hike for late spring or alternately, in early … Continue reading →

Sylvia and Goodwin Falls Hike

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The Clearwater River Road ran from Clearwater for 38.5 km up the west side of the Clearwater River to the Mahood River confluence.   Before 1975, there was a bridge across the Mahood River and a forest service road ran for another 27 km to the Flourmill Volcanoes area (we forded the river and hiked all the way to the lava flow and cinder cones in the late 1970s).    The Clearwater River Road has faced a few washouts but was repaired.    It was a long and bumpy backroad all the way to the Mahood River.   In recent years a more catastrophic washout and landslide occurred, closing the road at the 11 km mark.    It appears the road will … Continue reading →

Skoatl Point Hike

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We drove for many kilometers on backroads to get to Bonaparte Plateau Provincial Park.    For 28 km we drove up the Jamieson Creek Forest Service Road, then turned onto the Windy Lake FSR for 15 km.  We passed the Rec Site on Windy Lake, and followed a narrow, bumpy road to the Skoatl Point trailhead.   We hiked to the base of the volcanic spire and scrambled to the top. The trail winds through burned forest down to Adler Lake.    The wetter area by the lake was not burned.     After going around the west side of the lake, we started to climb through burned forest, winding up to the southeast corner of Skoatl Point. The route up is … Continue reading →

A Hike Around Face Lake

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On a sunny summer day I drove up the Paska Lake Road and continued toward Mile High Resort.    I parked outside the resort property, and then walked to the camping area and past to the trailhead for the around-the-lake trail.   The trail is lightly marked, but at a couple of junctions, I took the one closest to the lake and continued all along the east side of Face Lake. The area around Face Lake has lodgepole pine and douglas fir forests, with mixed forests in low or wet areas.   Some of the trees have been thinned lower down.    Higher on the slopes of Chuwhels Mountain the slopes have been logged and replanted. At the north end of the … Continue reading →

Rattler Viewpoint Hike

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On previous hikes this summer I hiked over two of the Stake Lake Hills.     First, the Lac le Jeune Lookout (Vista Trail) was hiked from Lac le Jeune.     In the middle of summer, it was a loop route over McConnell Hill.     On this recent day, the hike was through different cross-country and snowshoe trails to the top of the hill Rattler Viewpoint.   The fastest route up was around the west side of Stake Lake (Cartwheel Trail), then up Hold Up.   A sign shows the way to a snowshoe trail which winds through the forest and up the hill. Most of the area around Rattler Viewpoint is douglas fir forest. From the viewpoint there are views to the … Continue reading →

Mt. Embleton Hike

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On a sunny day the Mt. Embleton Trails was the hiking destination.    From the upper parking lot, the upper trail wound up through the forest to the Pine Loop Trail and over to the gazebo and the lookout, the highest point on the trails.    From there, the trail descends to a junction and the trail to the right goes down to the Skyline Trail following a rocky ridge back down to the forested slopes. There are fine views most of the way down the Skyline Trail.    As the trail winds down, there are several junctions to return back to the parking lot.    The return route was along the Old Mills Trail, a favorite.   This loop route … Continue reading →

Leighton Lake Trail

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On a hot summer day I drove up to Tunkwa Provincial Park, then turned onto the Leighton Lake Campground Road to the campsite and boat launch area.    I paddled around Leighton Lake first, then secured the boat, and changed into hiking gear.   I hiked the Leighton Lake Trail counter-clockwise, a loop route of 4.3 – 4.5 km (depending on route choices). The trail winds through open forest on the southeast side of the lake and then joins the Tunkwa Lake Campground on the south side of the lake. The lake trail goes between the two lakes (they are connected by a short stream).    Tunkwa Lake is the larger of the two lakes.    We can hike around that … Continue reading →

Tranquille Slot Canyons

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The Tranquille Slot Canyons are an extended gorge in the Tranquille River Canyon.    They are accessed by parking at a pullout area off the Tranquille Criss Creek Road, then hiking down a steep trail to the river’s edge.    There are two slot canyons not far apart.     The North Slot has a deeper pool to wade and swim through, but we can go all the way through to the north end, then back.   When we go down to the slot canyons, we bring our gear and leave it by the shoreline, before entering the river. The steep trail down is a single track, winding around a cliff, past some car wrecks, along a ridge, then down through a … Continue reading →

Twilight Hill Loop

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There are a number of steep hills and there are a few trails up through them which can be combined from the trailhead at the end of Uplands/McLeod Drive in Barnhartvale.   For a moderate hike, we sometimes hike a series of single tracks through the grasslands benchlands (Uplands Trails Ramble).   The routes into the hills require some steep climbs on single tracks.    To the east is the Sunrise Mountain Trail which follows the ridge to the top.   West of Sunrise is a mountain/hill of the same elevation which I have been calling Sunset Mountain for many years.    It can be accessed from various directions using old double tracks and newer single tracks.     North of Sunset Mountain are … Continue reading →